NaNo

If I stare at the computer anymore, there will be words permanently burned into my eyeballs. Its been two days and around fifteen, maybe sixteen hours? since NaNoWriMo began.

I've written 33300/50000. I think I'm going to try to make 80k, though. I'm conducting numerous races with other NaNo-ers, which I'd rather not lose too badly XD.

My little sister isn't feeling well, so please everybody pray for her to get better soon.

ACT

Yay! Finished with the first ACT. They should change the name for that to something like "Four Hours of Boredom." Except for the English and Reading. Both of those were fun. I have my fingers crossed for my scores.

Only five more days until NaNo. Three more weeks until my nephew is born.

God our father is like the godfather. He makes you an offer you can't refuse.

That's what my uncle said at bible study yesterday. I thought it was funny but it's only just now occured to me how true it is. As a christian there's a place you want to get to and there's only one way there - no short cuts. Short cuts (as my dad could certainly tell you but never would) only end up getting you lost.

New Story!

I started a new novella a little while back. I love writing novellas. You don't have to make it really short, like short stories, but it's not a massive long-term thing, like a novel. Here's the first part:

1

The thing about jumping out of planes was, sooner or later you landed. And it hurt. Bridget Caseman was considering this.

“You’re making this harder on yourself.” Her captor, Jerk #1 as she had fondly named him, jabbed her in the ribs with the muzzle of his machine gun. That hurt, too, but not half as bad as her landing was going to.

The Brazilian jungle flew by in dark green shades below. She was going to land on those trees. She’d die. And even if the fall didn’t kill her – which it definitely would – the wild animals would eat her alive. Vampire bats and jaguars and man-eating ants would be stuffing their faces today. The thought of ants stuffing their faces made Bridget smile.

“Bridget?”

Oh. Right. Bridget turned her head, her fleeting moment of amusement gone. There he was. The man who was making her jump out of this plane and to her death.

“You know,” Bridget said, forcing her voice to remain steady, “You killed my parents a long time ago. I don’t remember it.”

“I’m sure you don’t.” Wesley Martin was so thin he looked like a scarecrow. The two big bodyguards always on either side of him didn’t help. His stern brown eyes gazed at Bridget. “This is really very unfortunate, that you would have to go like this. But if you refuse to tell me what I want to know then I’m afraid I have no choice.”

That was the only reason Jerk #1 hadn’t kicked her out of the plane already. The only reason Bridget had been kept alive for the harsh, multi-thousand mile trip from home sweet home Alabama to the jungles of Brazil.

“I’m not going to tell you.” Bridget’s voice faltered.

Wesley smiled. “I think you will.”

“All my family is dead, Wesley. Thanks to you, I have nothing left to lose.” Bridget held up her arm, displaying the fresh, ugly scars over it. “You’ve already tortured me.”

Wesley grimaced. “I didn’t want to do it.”

“But you did.” Bridget faced the open plane door again. She’d have to jump, sooner or later, but she was so scared. Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweating.

“God, please don’t let me die. I know you don’t want him to know what I know. Please help me.” She closed her eyes, barely even thinking the prayer, afraid Wesley would take that last bit of comfort from her. If only she had wings. If she were an angel, she could fly away. She wouldn’t be in this mess. She would have stopped Wesley from killing her parents, three years old or not, and she wouldn’t have to hide this terrible secret.

“Very well.” Wesley shrugged his shoulders. “Push her.”

Bridget didn’t even have time to protest, to cry out. Jerk #1 shoved her hard between her shoulder blades, and she tumbled through midair, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Sixteen Reasons Why Big Families Are Awesome

1) There's always someone to hang out with

2) There's always someone to bother you

3) There’s always someone to bother

4) You don’t have to do the dishes all of the time

5) There’s always someone on your side

6) There’s always someone to help with your chores

7) There’s always someone who has gum

8) You get ten times as many books from the library

9) There are ten times more friends

10) You get to share stuff like laptops and clothes

11) You never get in trouble alone

12) Everybody tells you what an awesome mom you have

13) There’s always a good joke being told

14) You have big sisters who double as chauffeurs

15) Everything gets bought in bulk, which means there are a lot of big boxes to play with

16) A four year old gets to be an uncle

More Randomness

On Saturday I spent the day at the Nashville Zoo. I always volunteer there during the summer and during special events. The event was called Harvest Days, and it’s to show people what it was like way back in the day before television and cars and stuff. Me and the next girl under me, DD, got to work at the bracelet making table. You had this really gross-smelling twine which kept unraveling and you threaded on these wooden beads. It took forever to get them on, by the way. Whenever a girl came by we’d ask if she wanted to make a bracelet. If it was a guy we’d call it a man-band. DD was cracking up about that ALL DAY. Once she gets going with a joke she’s on it like a dog on a bone :)

On Friday I watched the Two Towers. It’s kind of sad, I know, but I almost cried twice. First when Gollum was arguing with himself that Frodo was his friend, then when Gimli and Aragorn jumped into the middle of all those orcs to defend the bridge and I thought they were going to die. Gimli is hilarious. He’s my sister’s favorite character. Him and Eowyn.

LOTR 3 is waiting for me at the library! I can’t wait to watch it! I’m fast becoming a devoted LOTR fan :)

Pencil Splints, E.J, LotR, Etc.

I am so mad at myself. On Monday I had the bright idea to do my back handspring with my fingers bent backward. Turns out it's very painful. So now I'm walking around with my finger wrapped up in purple tape with a splint made out of a broken pencil holding it immobile. I can't pick anything up, my typing speed has slowed by fifty percent, and pretty much the only thing I can do easily is watch movies.

Speaking of movies, I finally watched Lord of the Rings! I love that movie. Only my and my sister Liz watched it, so nobody but her gets it when I crack a LotR-related joke. My favorite character is a tie between Aragorn and Frodo. And then the beautiful horses that the ring-wraiths were riding.

So, the doctor changed his mind for the THIRD time about when my nephew E.J is going to be born. First it was late December, then it was late November, and now it's early December. We'll see how long it is before he changes his mind again :). Ne-Ce (the eldest sister and E.J's mom) is always sleeping now. I'd call her a zombie but then she'd probably hurt me and I'm practically not even allowed to glare at her in case I hurt E.J. Back when Ne-Ce babysat me and my sibs all the time she used to make us do push-ups when we didn't listen. And now she'll randomly decide to whack somebody when we're in the car and there's a red light. That's Ne-Ce. But we love her anyway :) - even if I never did get a chance to push her into the foam-filled pit at the gym. At least I'm taller than her now.